The President’s health care summit took place in Washington today.  Congressional leaders from the House and Senate and from both parties gathered and talked for more than six hours about health reform.  Even before it started, some advocates were pointing out that it had succeeded in re-energizing the campaign to finish a health reform bill – an important contribution.

The day was divided into discussion of four areas: cost control, insurance reform, reducing the deficit and expanding coverage.  Though quite a few participants told stories about constituents who are struggling to get the care they need, very few spoke about the specific problems and concerns that affect women.  Representative Louise Slaughter of New York talked about the urgent need to eliminate gender rating, which leads to increased premiums for women, ban exclusions for pre-existing conditions, like domestic violence, which insurance companies use to deny coverage to women.

Late in the day, Representative John Boehner of Ohio delivered a long list of Republican talking points that included a number of false statements, including that the Senate bill would allow federal funding of abortion.  The President responded in an overarching way, saying that he had made many statements that the Democrats vehemently disagree with, and in her closing statement House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made a point of correcting the record.

There weren’t many signs that it will be possible to bridge the policy differences between Democrats and Republicans. But the President was able to keep some focus on the argument that many Republican proposals have been included in the current proposal and that today was a very public call for other Republican suggestions.  Maybe that will give reluctant members of Congress who would like to support health reform, but worry about supporting a bill that seems too partisan, the confidence to move forward and pass legislation.

What happens next?  We have to make sure Congress builds on the opening the summit created to bring its negotiations to a conclusion and pass a bill that makes quality health care affordable in this country.  And we have to keep pushing prochoice allies in Congress to fix the abortion provisions so that health reform won’t set women back by restricting acccess to abortion coverage.